GASPER JEMEC

Resident September 2024

Gašper Jemec was born on 25th of October 1975 in Kranj, Republic of Slovenia, former SFR Yugoslavia.

He enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, where he studied painting and new medias both as an undergraduate and as a graduate student with professors Janez Bernik (1994-1996), Gustav Gnamuš (1996-1998), Bojan Gorenec (1998-2000) and Srečo Dragan (2000-2002). Jemec also did graduate work in painting at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in America with professor Vaughn Clay in 1999. As a Herder scholarship winner of Alfred Toepfer Stiftung FVS from Hamburg, he further trained in sculpture at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna with professor Gerda Fassel (2001-2002). 

Gašper Jemec’ work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in a variety of international institutions, art fairs, art festivals, museums and galleries including Art Paris, Art Madrid, Art Moscow, European Central Bank in Frankfurt and Venice Biennale. His artworks are included in some permanent art collections, both private and public such as of European Parliament in Espace Léopold, Brussels and also of European Commission in Palais Berlaymont, Brussels.

Gašper has resided and worked in Indiana, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Vienna, Hamburg, Sakaide, Valencia, Moscow, Normandy, Paris, Tasmania, Barcelona, Galway, London and Marseille. In his work, he focuses mainly on painting, sculpture and site-specific installation. Jemec works as an independent artist.

I came to Galatina expecting it to be a quiet place, full of inspiration, but far from the current world events. Upon arrival, I was surprised by the flights of military fighters, and I realized that there was an air force base in the immediate vicinity of the city. This was the first element of surprise and fascination, because it is the overflights of military planes that bring the sound of war. This sound is unfortunately present in the lives of too many people living in war zones, especially in Ukraine and Gaza, but also in Myanmar, Sudan and elsewhere. Otherwise, Galatina fascinates me with its rich architectural offer from the past centuries, as well as its modern, simple, but extremely inspiring specific aesthetics, which is present both in the modern buildings themselves, as well as in all other elements of living in a small but lively town.

I was also very impressed by the nearby Gallipoli, where there is a lot of visual stimulation and plenty of material for creation. I was particularly fascinated by the entertainment fair by the sea, which reminds me of an alternative or parallel present, or the Burning Man festival. So my topic became "The Sound of War" and the coexistence of different aesthetics.